We don’t cover enough from South America, to our shame, so its nice to come across an intriguing little story from Peru that is at once intriguing and instructive for learners of genetics of all ages. [1] [2] .
The basics are clear enough: a team of researchers from the University of Pisa have dug up a mummy which sheds all sorts of light on the cultural practices of the ancient inhabitants of Cusco, Peru. As well as what diseases they endured, which were many and painful. But for our purposes, they seem also to have recovered a range of antibiotic resistant genes in the gut of the mummy. So what is going on? Because it also illustrates some key points on genetics, evolution and the central doctrines of biology.
1 The genes in question are clearly from bacteria which were living in the victim’s gut, although you’d have to read the articles carefully to extract this key fact
2 What were they resistant to?
3 How did they get there? This is not a problem for classic genetic theory, as random mutations are thrown up all the time, but it might be for archaeologists.
4 Because the theory also states that mutations are preserved if and only if they are selected. The Ur-Tiger was a mutation with stripes-all its brother and sister kitties were plain. But because the stripes let it hide better, it prospered and left more genes in the next generations, including the mutation.
5 Whereby, ergo, whatever you call it-was something selecting for antibiotic resistance in Peru all those years ago? We’d love to know what. Did they have some kind of bug-killing drug, that hasn’t been found yet?
Antibiotic resistance plagued us then, as it does now. Time to pressure your leaders to do something about it, instead of wasting all our time in useless ego-driven conflicts about lines on maps.
Everything but the Gull At a time of assiduous attempts at wildlife conservation, the poor old Herring gull (Larus argentatus) and its smaller relatives still come in for regular bashings. Yet these beautiful birds are an integral and delightful part of our seasides. At last the Conversation makes a case for the defence of these cheeky marauders
Clearing up the unclearable Long ago, non stick frying pans seemed like a technological marvel. Yet many contained PFAs, those almost-impossible-to destroy chemicals which can cause such environmental and health damage, Now a new technique seems to grapple at last with the problem of breaking them down in a feasible way. (memo to the Christian Right-sometimes thought is more effective than prayer-care to give it a try?) Here’s NBC:
Farewell Wolfgang Petersen Some say Das Boot, as well as being one of the best, was actually the most authentic war film ever. For us, it captured perfectly the sense of being trapped in a closed society where even to laugh at the wrong joke results in instant arrest and death. Bet they won’t being showing it in Russia any time soon!
US Climate Landmark The shameful events in Wyoming this week should not mask the fact that America is still a progressive country, where education can still make a mark. We suppose “it’s the duality thing” as Private Joker remarked in Full Metal Jacket. Anyway, the light side have now produced this amazing climate bill. One day Joe Biden will be remembered, while the cowboys of Wyoming will be as forgotten as the Native Americans whose lands their ancestors stole. Nature, Scientists welcome US Landmark Climate bill
Several US government agencies will see a significant influx of cash from a massive climate and tax bill that President Joe Biden has signed. The legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, pledges US$369 billion in climate investments over the next decade and could cut US greenhouse-gas emissions by about 30–40% below 2005 levels by 2030. Scientists worldwide have welcomed the bill, but warn that more work is needed to counter global warming.Nature | 5 min read
Have you ever seen the rain? or smelled it. Come to think of it, what is that delightful smell you get after a heavy downpour has washed a drought from the meadows? How stuff works, that most excellent of sites, has an idea of what it might be
And finally… not every old band has stood the test of time. But we think Creedence Clearwater Revival have. From Bad Moon Rising, with its spookily accurate predictions of ecological disaster, through Run Through the Jungle, Proud Mary, Up Around the Bend and Fortunate Son, ol’ Fogerty and his boys stand comparison with any of the greats. Here’s a link to Have you ever seen the rain, which we hope will provide a musical treat at the end of a busy week.
If any city was the capital of the world, well New York was from 1916 to 2016. No city has captured that vibe of freedom, energy, sophistication, wealth, exuberance-and sleaze, fake and violence as well as the cluster of boroughs on the Hudson River. None in the last one hundred years has inspired so many unforgettable songs, books, films and moments, from the Wall Street Crash to the triumphant return of the Apollo 11 astronauts in a blizzard of tape on Broadway. It hasn’t really happened until it’s happened in New York, they say. And until very recently, this was true.
Anyone who has sat in the bar of one of the bigger Manhattan hotels knows they are drinking in the fons et origio of the cocktail, and all it represents. Most of us have indeed taken away happy memories of such nights, although the company is not always quite as congenial as an English Village Pub. But, whatever happens now to New York, let’s pay a tribute by looking at seven of the very best cocktails from that glorious city, and happy times spent therein.
Our guide this week is a lovely site called secret NYC. (we looked this up: it means New York City-geddit?) There’s a lovely menu of places to go and things to see. But, gentle readers_ this is a cocktail column, so put on your best Brooks Brothers shirt, download Rhapsody in Blue and try to mix and drink a selection of the following, with reference to the site for precise mixicological details[1]
The Manhattan we guessed this might be on there. So did you, probably.
The Brooklyn well with a name like that it’s not going to be from Droitwich Spa, is it? Another whisky based one
New York Lemonade Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There seem to be plenty of things like vodka and Gran Marnier to give it that oomph so beloved of us cocktail drinkers
Staten Island Ferry We sailed on this ship many decades ago. The washroom cubicles had no doors. Oh well.
New York Sour a fruity sophistication for the jaded imbiber
Queens Cocktail Isn’t that where all those Goodfellas and Wiseguys were supposed to hang out? Better drink this one with respect, OK?
Liz Cheney‘s loss in the Republican Primary in Wyoming should disturb progressives everywhere. [1].It wasn’t as if she’s a Commie Liberal Woke LGBT Democrat or anything like that. Her record was almost impeccably right wing, and she is a scion of dynasty deeply embedded in the ecology of the American Right. Yet the voters dumped her for a candidate who openly and cheerfully espouses the cause and asseverations of Donald Trump. Yet again we ask: Why did reason, that most important of human qualities, fail?
We think the cause of America’s problems is an ancient, unsolved race war. Progressives and the educated may despise the futility of racial identity. How can there be a master race when the very basis of our DNA can now be modified in a laboratory? Yet to most people on all sides of ethnic divides, their identities, and the hatreds thereby engendered, are precious. Religion is quickly drawn in as a marker, in ways that might surprise Christianity’s eponymous founder. Fans of Byzantium will recall the famous sixth-century controversy in which Greek City dwellers were Orthodox, whereas the Semitic country people were impeccably Monophysite [2]. It stands for the followers of most religions in most places.
Rightly or wrongly, certain groups of American whites are now terrified that there majoritarian, dominant identity is being lost. They too have adopted a religious marker, which investigators have called Christian Nationalism. As we think this phenomenon is important, we offer a little cluster of readings where you can learn more at your leisure.
Starting with The Conversation, Samuel Perry offers a good summary. He traces the violent origins of the movement back to incidents like the Waco siege of 1993, a time when when the American Right began to really dig in.
Sam has also co-authored a book with Andrew Whitehead which explores the whole trope more deeply, to some good reviews;
A Whitehead and S Perry Taking Back America for God OUP 2020
The link between notions of identity and masculinity has always intrigued. In our experience, racial jealousies are often closely linked to sexual ones. This book begins to explore this theme, and we wonder if more work along these lines might be fruitful.
Kristin Kobes Du Mez Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a nation Liveright Publishing Corporation 2020
Coda– We do not think the voters of Wyoming are especially bad or stupid. But we do think that they are frightened. Frightened people do not absorb facts, nor think with reason. And that for most of history, reason and argument have belonged to a fraction of the population; we should remember how few we are. Until we recognise how people really are, and not how we would like them to be, our whole Enlightenment project looks uncertain indeed.
LSS has been banging on about Artificial Intelligence recently- but what about its scary sibling: robotics? Fans of sci fi have explored an ambivalent relationship with robots since the 1950s. There have been benign ones like Robby in Forbidden Planet or R2D2 of Star Wars fame. And malevolent ones like the eponymous stars of the Terminator franchise. And always that nagging anxiety. “These things are cleverer than us. When could they take over?”
Advances in the field continue apace. Writing in the Mail, Shivali Best uncovers the latest offering from the Xiaomi Corporation of China. It’s called Cyber One, it’s 1.75m tall, it walks like a human and it’s fitted with an on board AI system. [1]. All the more impressive when you think it has beaten Tesla into the market place by a month. It’s quite clear that the great powers and their corporations will compete to offer ever more adapted, multifunctioning robots which will perform ever more complicated tasks in the years ahead. Watch this space for offerings from Russia, the EU, and India.
None of the above seem disposed to pay any heed to Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics,[2] which were adduced as an attempt to brake the terrifying potential of this new technology. So are we doomed to hide in the ruins, hunted like rats by super-powerful Terminator-style cyborgs? Possible, but unlikely. However there seems another danger. Currently robots are restricted to roles like factory production, cutting lawns and walk-ons at trade shows. But their range of functions is growing. Soon they may be washing up, ironing and cleaning the house. Then doing the shopping, banking and minding the kids. Their sporting abilities will exceed those of any human competitor, and no doubt they’ll soon be playing the violin better too. What future for flesh-and blood humans in a world where there is absolutely nothing to do?
The management and staff at LSS enjoy their Sunday rest as much as anyone else does. But a story from Robin McKie of the Guardian offers such hope on new cancer treatments that we have to offer it to you, gentle readers, as soon as possible.
Robin’s headline says it all “New Parp inhibitors could stop cancers appearing” A PARP is an enzyme called Poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase. It works by helping cells repair damaged DNA. Obviously cancer cells have it too. Now researchers have discovered ways to inhibit this enzyme in cancer cells only. The result? They die. Cancer regresses. But Robin explains everything in clear prose, Click on! [1]
What we wanted to emphasise was this extract from his article:
The clinical evaluation of the first Parp inhibitors began 20 years ago just as the funding charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) was formed out of an amalgamation of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign. Since then the organisation has played a key role in funding research in the field.
It really, really pays everyone to give to Charity. There really does seem something in the argument that pooled resources, working together, produces far better outcomes for all. (that’s enough reallys-ed) When was the last time a rugged individualist at the Dog and Duck came up with a cure for cancer?
So we are also offering a link to Cancer Research UK [2](confession-we’ve got a 20 year old direct debit to this lot) in case you too want to help progress. Or of course look for a similar institution in your own country.
stories which we think may be significant in the longer term
Good news on antibiotics We started this blog (and the Facebook page that preceded it entirely to advance the cause of research into new antibiotics. So it’s good to see a little progress. A new drug called Fabimycin may offer real hope.
Ayatollah, don’t Khomeini Closer!#1 We always remember Ayatollah Khomeini as a laid back, fun loving dude. Hence his participation in this cheerful pop video from the 1980s. So what must this easy-going guy have been thinking when he launched that Fatwa against obscure author Salman Rushdie back in ’89? Out of character we think. The video shows the true side of the Ayatollah we knew and loved, so judge for yourself.
Ayatollah, Don’t Khomeini Closer #2 Talking of Judge for Yourself, what of Salman Rushdie’s so called cultural output-is it any good? Here’s a list of his books so you can decide. They’re all easily available through good sites like Waterstones and Amazon.
Cryptos Curtailed A few years ago Cryptocurrency boosters boasted that their new blockchains would make them impervious to fraud and hackers. Not so. This article from PC magazine is just the tip of an iceberg. Some say it’s not the technology, its the users being weak and slack in their security procedures. IT and security professionals everywhere take note!
By the Rivers of Babylon Academics and Detectives normally have very different skill sets. So what happens when you put two of them to work together? The answer is an amazing tale of how Britain’s waterways have deteriorated into a mass of open sewers. Overseas readers-are you sure it isn’t happening in your countries?
we thank ripuarian proprietor Mr Gary Herbert for this story
Tories tamed As Whigs, we at LSS have sympathy with parties of left and right-what counts for us is who has the best policy at the time. We have, in our humble way, tried to show how Britain’s Conservative Party has lost its way. Now John Oxley, for the Spectator does it much much better than we could ever hope to:
It’s thatJames Webb again! Nature Briefings is reviewing its best articles and point us to this one about the magnificent new James Webb telescope. Once again the ineffable Mr Gary Herbert gets in on the act with a link to the telescope’s Facebook page, so you can join the community for yourself
The James Webb Space Telescope — a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency — released four of its first full-colour science images in July. Webb’s 6.5-metre-wide mirror is the largest ever launched into space. The combination of its large mirror, infrared view and tennis-court-sized sunshield allow Webb an unprecedented view of many astronomical phenomena. “It’s only just the beginning,” notes NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller.
Well, there’s something to be getting on with. We hope you all have a great weekend. The board of directors are now off to Maccy D’s at East Croydon station to cure our hangovers. We hope the staff will follow us after they have turned the lights off and closed down all the computers.
ayatollah khomeini #salman rushdie #pollution #cryptocurrencies #hacking #conservative party
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Feeling Hot and tired? too hot to do all that tricky mixing and measuring? Well, we don’t blame you. So here a few quick cooling ideas for a boiling Friday night.
Cold Lager Ever a standby. Kept in the fridge until the can/bottle is frosty cold and beaded as you pour. To prove we’re not too anglocentric, here’s a few brands we’ve enjoyed down the years: San Miguel, Kronenbourg, Foster’s Red Stripe, Budweiser, Red Stripe. The English love ’em.
Quick hit Pimms Forget all that fussy jars and fruit and foraging for borage hardscrabble. You can make a perfectly satisfactory quickie in a glass with a little lemonade, a slice of lemon and a few ice cubes
Gin and Tonic Same as above really, in concept. Gordons even do little ready made tins. Iceland have copied these under the soubriquet Alfie, Just add your own ice and lemon.
Ice cold rose Over ice and maybe with a bit of soda water to cool things down. Nineteen seventies style comments about men who drink rose are now considered to be exceedingly crass and asleep
Shandy Made with fine old ale and cold lemonade, you can keep going for hours without falling asleep in the rose bed. Don’t neglect as a possibility!
Cider The only time we seriously considered becoming teetotal was when we were offered what was purported to be “real farmhouse west country cider” in a hamlet in Cornwall. It was disgusting, the kind taste you would expect from the cleaned out sump of an old combine harvester. Whereas! Companies like Bulmers, Magners, Thatchers and many others do a delightful range of delicious fizzy apple or pear based beverages which gladden many a thirsty palate, and have done ever since 1961. In tribute to an old TV ad for a now vanished brand, we’ll close with this old song and see if any of you remember it
Coates cum oop from Zomerrrzet/ Deown wurrr tha zoider arpples grrreow!
Have a good weekend. If the fields are dying, prices rising and you can’t water your garden, here’s why: Climategate 2009. When meaningful action on climate change might have started. But someone prevented it.
Astronomy is our oldest science. There were Babylonians and others peering into starry Middle Eastern skies thousands of years ago. Greeks, Arabs and Europeans followed. The invention of things like astrolabes, telescopes, radio astronomy and spectroscopy deepened our understanding. And Astronomy has rightfully kept its place at the very forefront of learning.
Computing and information are latecomers. We know people who were born before the pioneering work of Van Neuman and Turing was dry, as ‘t’were on the page. It has since come on in strides-and we haven’t really started on quantum computing yet.
So what happens when you put the two together? You get results which are more than the sum of the parts. As this piece on the Guardian (too many authors-ed) shows. Researchers in Australia combined the work of their new, snappily named Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder with the supercomputers of the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre to produce stunning new images. [1] At the moment, they’re just trying out on a local supernova, but the potential for far deeper understandings is very firmly there. This is what happens when you combine insights from two different disciplines. Remember isotope physics and archaeology?
At a time when we seem to be buried under waves of bad news, it’s good to think someone out there is still thinking and working in new ways. Good on yer, Aussies!
August 9th 2007 was a Thursday. If you had been at work, you might have been thinking that tomorrow heralded the beginning of a fun-filled weekend. Sports, pubs and restaurants beckoned. At the cinema, The Bourne Ultimatum and Rush Hour 3 were packing them in. Rihanna was high in the charts with Umbrella, featuring co artist Jay Z. It seemed that this easy prosperity would last forever. But we could not have been more wrong.
For this was the day that BNP Paribas closed its position on three hedge funds due to their exposure to certain American financial securities. A move that was both brutal and unexpected. As Larry Elliott points out [1] it was “the pebble that marked the coming avalanche ” And what an avalanche! September saw the first panic filled runs on banks. 2008 began with huge falls on global stock markets. That autumn witnessed the folding of ancient institutions such as Lehman Brothers, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. By October, the endless wave of selling brought the entire financial system to within a few hours of total collapse.[2]
The world recovered, sort of, on a wave of dubious money which was given the pompously re-assuring name of “quantitative easing.” But the economic and geopolitical consequences are with us yet. The prestige of the United States and its western allies was irretrievably damaged. Their assumed model, based on the superiority of free financial markets, was shown to be fundamentally flawed. Dictators around the world took note; and began to plan the series of actions which led us to where we are today. Asset prices soared, as did the incomes of the rich. Real wages stagnated, and indebtedness became a feature of millions of poor lives. Deep frustration and anger led to such outcomes as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. And at the end of it? War ,and the certain promise of another depression.
And, as Elliott points out, the fracturing of international cooperation and the deep mutual mistrust between nations will make attempts to patch things over much harder this time round. In 2008 it was British Premier Gordon Brown who did as much as anyone to avert collapse. No UK Prime Minister has that authority now, nor ever will. As Auden said, we are
“Lost in a haunted wood/Children afraid of the night/who have never been happy or good”
August 9th 2007 was the day we entered the dark wood. Can we ever find a way out?
Learning, Science and Society 